1. Field of the Invention
The present invention is directed to a replaceable anti-slip pad for attachment to a power tool, and a power tool equipped with a replaceable anti-slip pad. The pad, and the tool equipped with the pad, are especially well suited for use by roofers and others working on steeply inclined surfaces.
2. Description of Related Art
Roofers and other construction workers that commonly work on steeply inclined surfaces often have difficulty working with their full array of tools, in that it is difficult when working on such sloped surfaces to maintain the tools close at hand. This is especially the case with power tools, such as nail guns or staple guns, in that the power tools cannot be conveniently held in a tool belt, and in that there is generally no flat or stable surface on which to lay the tool for easy access thereto when it is needed on an intermittent basis.
Heretofore, roofers have relied extensively on only the frictional forces between the housing, typically made of aluminum, of the tool and the roofing surface to keep the tool nearby when the tool is laid down so that the roofer can use other necessary tools. This leads to two problems: first, the frictional forces between asphalt shingles and an aluminum power tool housing are generally not great enough to provide a reliable hold, given the steepness of the roof, and second, even minor sliding displacement of the tool, when experienced repeatedly in common use, results in the abrasion and erosion of the power tool housing, oftentimes to the point where the tool is unusable.
This latter problem occurs primarily as a result of the hardness and abrading characteristics of the stone gravel that forms the upper surface of the asphalt shingles, which wears away the generally softer aluminum housing material when the tool housing slides on the roofing surface. The ability of the roofing surface to hold the power tool generally worsens as the housing material wears, in that the worn housing surface generally presents a smoother surface to the roofing surface.
The surfaces that a roofer encounters, such as plywood sheathing, a tar paper interlayer, and the asphalt shingles, are not themselves inherently slippery. It is the slope at which these surfaces are presented, and the fact that the roof is at a considerable distance above ground, that make improved gripping or traction on the angled, oftentimes abrasive, surfaces so important in retaining the tool in the place where it is laid down.
While there are oftentimes foot supports temporarily attached to the roof to provide the roofer with more secure footing, which could potentially provide a better support surface or backstop for the power tool, such supports are inconveniently located where the roofer's feet will be, and not where his hands will be. To date, and to the present inventor's knowledge, no viable solution to the tool slippage problem has been presented to roofers.
Protective coverings for the heads of power tools have been proposed in U.S. Pat. Nos. 4,981,247 and 5,025,970. Those coverings are not designed to protect the head of the power tool from damage, and are not directed to providing the tool housing with an anti-slip capability. Rather, those coverings were designed and are provided for protection of the piece of work, such as a wood baseboard molding, from being damaged by the power tool.
One factor that appears to have been largely overlooked is that a somewhat greater ongoing expense for the power tool over the long-term can be justified if the tool housing has a longer life, and if the tool can maintain good traction such that the efficiency of the roofer or other worker is improved due to the ability to more quickly and ably retrieve the power tool when needed.
It is a principal object of the present invention to provide an anti-slip pad attachment to a power tool that will, when the tool is laid down, substantially prevent the power tool from sliding on an inclined work surface.
It is a further principal object of the present invention to provide an anti-slip pad attachment that is removable and easily replaceable when it becomes worn through extended use.
It is another principal object of the present invention to provide an anti-slip pad attachment that is positioned on a side of the power tool and that is made of a high-density, but also highly resilient, foam material that will deform under the weight of the power tool when the tool is laid down on its side.